MARTIN ON FEATHERED THEROPODS etc

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

As some of you are aware, there are rumours floating around that, at 
SVP Bozeman, Larry Martin did identify the apparent remiges of the 
new AMNH Yixian dromaeosaur as, well, remiges. I recently read the 
transcribed text from the roundtable discussions reproduced in the 
special avian palaeontology volume (vol. 89) of  _Smithsonian 
Contributions to Paleobiology_. In it Martin states that he now feels 
there is some support for what he calls the 'Paulian' view of theropod-
bird evolution. Note that the term 'Paulian' is now is print. Martin 
notes that the Paulian view would be well supported _if_ a Cretaceous 
maniraptoran with elongate remiges were to be found. Thus the burden 
is on the AMNH crew (plus Zhonghe Zhou et al of course) to 
definitively demonstrate the presence of prominent remiges in a Yixian 
specimen (ok, you might argue that they've already done this, but it 
needs to be unarguable).

While I'm here I'd like to mention a few others things. Nick L's 
mention of _Dromaeosaurus_ postcrania is not a reference to the 
material described by Colbert and Russell - it's something new. Nick, 
are you going to let the proverbial cat out of the bag? And 
oviraptorosaurs: also at SVP I know that a new oviraptorid taxon was 
on display, apparently casts were for sale. I have examined one and it is 
certainly something new. The rostral border of the premax is near-
vertical, the crest is tall, uniquely curved forward and quite narrow 
craniocaudally, the bar of the postorbital is relatively robust and there 
is a sagittal crest. Dentary very deep but cervicals were not well 
preserved (though distinctive 'X- shape of pre- and postzygs clear). 
Skull approx. 150 mm long.

Back to the _Aristosuchus_ MS...

DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
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